Starting the no 'S' eating regime today to lose weight, anyone want to join in?

[standclear]

Hi, have got decidedly porky over the past few years.
I feel tired and lethargic, and none of my clothes look good anymore.
I also need to lose weight for health reasons and increase my (currently woeful) level of exercise.

I want to follow a simple and 'do-able' eating plan that is fairly simple and that I will be able to sustain ie hoping to lose 0.5 kg each week.

I'm planning to follow the no 'S' "diet":

book here

A summary of the basic rules is:

no snacks
no sweets (it's an American book so that covers puddings as well as biscuits and confectionary)
no seconds

except on days that start with 's' ie the weekend, and 'special' days ie birthdays and big holidays such as Christmas.

I've got the book so can answer further questions but that is basically it!

I'm going to be using MFP to log calories and I have also found the free NHS weight loss plan (includes exercise) helpful too

see here

I am planning to post my weight here every Sunday too (but that is not obligatory of course).

The other reason for posting on here is that I don't want to bore my family and friends to death about it in rl!! But it would be nice to have some companions along the way .

Anyone want to join in?

Hello all and welcome to our new additions! Mixed day for me today: banana, yoghurt and grapes for breakfast which was fine then had a client lunch at work which is usually a lavish affair. Would frankly have looked rude not eating with everyone else -I know! Was doing well I though by having vegetabke soup and small roll, then steak and veg. Fell off the wagon spectacularly with a lemon cheesecake and was then poured a coffee with cream. Tried to redeem myself for supper by having fish and vegetables.

No snacks but frankly I was stuffed anyway. Still cross with myself about the cheesecake though the rest of the day is ok. Magpie I feel your pain about being too weak to resist sweet stuff. Must try harder.

Good morning everyone! How did yesterday go?

Hear hear HolmesSweetHolmes to every word of your post!! I'm sick of all the conflicting food advice too. Butter and eggs are the devil's work one minute, and good for you again the next. Like you, firmly believe that 'everything in moderation' is the way to go.

Agree with you about simplicity of No S too. And I find I am focusing more on making main meals interesting and nutritious because there is nothing else.

Agree, it is just plain sane!! (And much less boring !!)

A warm welcome to What'sgoingoneh! Although I have to take responsibility for every morsel of good I place in my own gob I so agree that the influence of others is a huge problem!

My dh lives for food. He loves buying it, cookign it, and eating it (and we live in a country where food is a national obsession - I kid you not - the top stories on the news at night are whether the mussels season has begun or whether there is a crisis with one particular veg crop or another). And without getting too deeply psychological, dh expresses his love for others through food and cooking.

Basically I used to be stick thin before I lived with dh. Now I am not The sheer quantity I can eat has got bigger and bigger. And I have the willpower of a slug in jelly Over the years, I've found that the best tactic is to go your own path, and if you are handed a glass of wine or a cake or a sandwich you haven't asked for, hand it back or throw it in the sink or bin [much easier said than done though because it's like you are rejecting someone's kindness as well as their food!!] Very, very difficult (and I obviously haven't been rejecting enough food and wine because I am the weight I am!!) so I totally 'get it' and really, really sympathise! The best advice I can offer is : have a strategy in place. And good luck with yoru Christmas goal!

[And btw, if you don't mind an old crone putting their oar in (for what it is worth) it is really usual and normal to have a "slump" when you are newly married. I've been married over 20 yrs now, but I remember having it, my sisters had it, my cousins had it. It's a huge period of re-adjustment. You are not yourself on your own any more and have to negotiate a tricky new path. And after all planning and the 'looking forward' and the excitement of wedding and honeymoon etc, it's back to reality with a bump. Again, don't beat yourself up about it, take it steady and find your own way! )

Magpiecursedtea ditto above (about offending people)!! But don't beat yourself up about one slip up caused because you were being kind and polite! Pat yourself on the back for doing well the rest of the day! (And have a strategy in place for next time!)

AnotherEmma good luck with getting back on track! And thank you for letting us know that it "can be done"!!

Guineapig I think the theme of yesterday was "learning how to negotiate a dieting regime when you come up against others". It's very hard in a work situation too - I think people understimate the "power of the group" - it is very difficult to go against the grain. Be happy with yourself that you managed a good breakfast and supper!

Remember, it is early days everyone when we are bound to be making mistakes and learning to negotiate the pitfalls and it's important we don't let our mistakes set us back.

[Sorry for sounding like some cheap self-help book ]

I'm finding resisting sweet stuff very difficult too and surprised myself yesterday by how grumpy and tired I felt when I was craving sugar [the sign of a true addiction I'm afriad). Am weaning myself off by eating two dates when it gets really bad (such as when I normally had something sweet with coffee after supper).

I had banana and toast for brkfast, beef and vegetable soup with rice for lunch (but had additional half a turkey and tomato bap which I shouldn't have had) and ditto for supper. Had tuna burgers and broccolli but then had one more burger when I shouldn't have. So no sweetery (except four dates) but ate more in quantity than I should have done. Need to address that today!

Waves to eveyrone else!

On to today everyone! HAve a good one! [And sorry for the essay]

Oh meant to say - tiredness is an issue - can stick to the diet plan much better when I have had a good sleep.

that should have read 'food' I place in my gob [sorry]

Argh - yesterday was fine until I succumbed to a slice of the remains of dh's birthday cake. Still - it's gone now, so no further temptation! Chocolate and homemade cake are the two things I find it almost impossible to resist.

So far so good today. But 4pm is my temptation time.

I know I was talking about the liberation of no longer obsessing about WHAT you eat, but I also often think that in a way we tend to focus even more obsessively and faddishly on what NOT to eat (giving up wheat, sugar, gluten etc etc even if we have no intolerance ).

I liked this post on a blog I often read. It amused me with the way it was written and I thought it made sense too. I know it's sort of telling you what to eat (which is what I am generally trying to avoid) but only in a vague 'eat lots of good stuff' kind of way!

"Chocolate and homemade cake are the two things I find it almost impossible to resist."
Me too Holmes! Did you make the cake? You're a bloody saint if so! In future maybe you could freeze a quarter a slice to defrost and eat at the weekend?

Yes I did make the cake, but am definitely not a saint as I totally failed to resist it! It was a dark chocolate truffle cake with chocolate ganache icing and chocolate-coated almonds on top... Sorry - that probably wasn't very helpful!

I don't normally make cakes during the week. This one was made on Sunday for dh's 40th but it was so rich that it lasted until yesterday because you really can't eat lots of it in one go!

Aarrgggghhh! Making a cake that delicious and not eating the whole thing is saintly in my book! Sure eating it is the reward for making it?! (This is why I don't bake!)

Morning all!

[puts fingers in ears to block all talk of delicious chocolate cake]

Thanks for your post ExpertWeightLoss7 - good to have the views of an expert! And noted about the carbs!

AnotherEmma and Holmesweetholmes sympathies on the home baking front. I try and bake for my dd who is bordering on underweight and needs building up but end up eating a lot of it myself too.

Did ok-ish yesterday. Toast and tea for breakfast, middle Eastern mezzes for lunch but (unfortunately) a rather oily moussaka for supper - but at least ate less of it than I normally would and made a salad to go with it.

Feel very tired today though and eating out at friends tonight, so need to watch that I don't succumb to temptation.

Not weighing myself until Sun but don't particularly feel as though I have lost any weight.

Heigh ho!

Nothing to do but carry on!

Have a good day of it everyone!

Oily moussaka is totally fine! Oil isn't against the rules. The thing about this diet is that you have to forgot the ingrained habits from other diets. Fat and carbs are ok! Obviously not if you ONLY eat those, but as long as you combine with healthy protein and plenty of vegetables, it's fine. Sugar is the enemy #1!

Thanks Emma feel more motivated now!

Yw!
I for one am SO GLAD it's Friday! Bought myself a treat for the weekend, bring it on!

Evening All! Just catching up on last few days. I'm not sure about everyone else but I think I'm becoming ever so slightly more conscious about what I'm eating. Passed on the biscuits in work both yesterday and today telling myself that I can have one on the weekend if I still fancy it.
Yesterday was an ok day eating wise: two poached eggs and beans on toast for breakfast, salmon salad and strawberries for lunch then veggie stew and couscous for supper.

Today I've had banana, blueberries and yoghurt for breakfast, tuna salad for lunch and... an Indian takeaway for supper with two glasses of wine so far

No snacks either day and certainly room to improve on portion size. Am interested to see what weigh day (mine is Monday) brings but also aware as another poster said of the risk of binging at weekends. C'mon we can do it!

Did relatively OK for lunch today (moussaka again - small helping) but went out tonight with lovely friends who'd cooked delicious roast and I drank too much and had two helpings of tart afterwards and seconds of delicious tiny potatoes roasted with rosemary so have already contravened diet.

But, but like Guineapig think I am becoming much more conscious of what I am eating and the portion sizes!

[And dh will be away travelling from tomorrow for most of week ahead so can really, really eat healthily then]

Well done Guineapig for resisting the biscuits and snacks today and eating healthily the rest of the time!

AnotherEmma Enjoy your well deserved weekend treat.

Well done for getting through the first week everyone!

Well, I am weighing in today!

[Anyone else want to join me? Not obligatory of course!]

Basically I think I am exactly the same weight as last Sunday (84kg) which is somewhat disappointing. Have definitely eaten less sugar over the week though which can only be good.

[Perhaps Oliversmumsarmy was right !!]

Looking at my last post: I can see it is full of excuses!

Also, I shouldn't be surprised because looking at MFP lists (admittedly only half filled in) I have been over my calorific allowance on every day that has been fully logged. Even on days when I missed out a meal but ate a pizza in the evening! (So not surprising really).

Can see I have a long way to go ....!

Hope all of your results are better than mine!

May I join you? I am currently on a bus to a gym that I joined near work - I am going today for the first time, I am planning to go before work usually but I hate new things and new places (I have anxiety issues!) and would rather check it out when I have no time constraints. I'm really nervous :-/

I want to try the No S. I've been doing SW for the last 3 weeks, after my 2nd weigh in I was up by 0.5lb, my third weigh in is tomorrow but according to home scales (which have been same as SW scales so far) I haven't changed this week, so still 0.5lb UP since starting!

My plan is : gym 5 times a week before work, even if only 30mins on treadmill (3 days a week there is a class I can make before work).

No S diet, and the meals I do have will be Slimming World ones.

My downfall is alcohol. Where does that fit into the no S? And drinks like fruit juice and pop, would they all count as "sweet" and therefore banned until the weekend?

I have 2 stone to lose, initially. (Well 2 stone and half a pound since the slimming world disaster!)

I'm feeling pretty desperate about it all if I'm honest!!

Tomorrow is a new start. I also have some mental health issues and I am starting CBT so I am hoping it is the start of a whole new bright chapter :)

Of course you can join us Karaoke! You are very welcome!

Will have all fingers and toes crossed for you at the gym! Hope you enjoy your first session! (I have had panic attacks in the past so know where you are coming from! Anxiety is a truly horrible thing!)

Good luck to you with all your new ventures! Sounds as if you are making a really good start.

And you've got me thinking about exercising now ... .

By the way, will check again, but think wine (in moderation) is OK in no S diet. I think author says he has a couple of glasses a night!

Sweet fizzy drinks definitely out except for weekends.

Not sure about fruit juices - but I know they are very sugary - will look in book for you! (Prob ok in moderation!!)

OK have looked in book

fruits themselves are fine as long as part of meal and not in between

as for fruit juice, bk says ok as long as 100% pure fruit juice with no added sugars (again as part of meal ie breakfast)

authors suggests squeezing your own and drinking out of a special glass so you appreciate it more and it counts as "special" iyswim

as mentioned, alcoholic drinks allowed but not more than two glasses (ie nothing with huge calorific impact)

Thank you standclear!

Hope you've all had a good weekend and enjoyed a treat or two. I possibly over-indulged a bit, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Will try extra hard to stick to the diet in the coming week!

standclear did you weigh in as the same as last week? Commiserations if so - but at least you haven't put any weight on, that's the main thing! And you may find you lose quite a bit next week - it all evens out in the end.

My weigh-ins are on Tuesday mornings (slightly random but that's when I first weighed myself). First week back on the diet hasn't been amazing but we shall see...

Thank you standclear that makes a lot of sense. I don't tend to drink alcohol mon-thurs anyway, and I can probably stick to 2 glasses on a Friday ;)

The gym was ok, I am pleased I now know where everything is, I have booked on two classes so will see how I go. Feeling positive!

Evening all and welcome Karaoke! Well the weekend is nearly over and again has been a mixed bag... Plenty of veg but quite a lot of sweet stuff thrown in:
Yesterday: breakfast- croissant with butter and jam and a banana
Lunch - lamb and vegetable soup
Afternoon: almond milk and banana milkshake with cacao and 2tbsb peanut butter
Evening: pork tenderloin, mash and veg; 2 glasses of wine

Today: breakfast: English muffin, spinach, smoked salmon and poached egg, croissant with butter and jam (yes greedy I know!)
Lunch, tomato, cucumber and Stilton salad with plum chutney and a toasted English muffin
Supper: roast beef, parsnip, potatoes, kale, carrots, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire pud and gravy; 2 glasses of wine.

Going to have a bath now then Downton Abbey. Back on it tomorrow ladies!
My first weigh in tomorrow, will let you know how I get on!

Good morning all!

Love the sound of your weekend menus Guineapig they quite make my mouth water (especially the breakfasts and dinners!). They should set you up for a good week ahead!

AnotherEmma yes, my weigh-in day is Sunday! Thanks for the encouragement though! And good luck tomorrow for weigh-in!

Dh is travelling atm so I am determined to have a good week of sticking to the rules.

The waistband of my trousers are really tight atm (as are bra straps!). Poss too much info but they are acting as constant reminders to eat in moderation. Really hate being this way!

Have a good week everyone!